When We Only Have the Earth - (African Poetry Book) by Abdourahman a Waberi (Paperback)

About the Book

In these moving poems French Djiboutian writer Abdourahman A. Waberi urges us to look for the truth and beauty hidden in our daily lives and exhorts us to join him in the collective fight to save our planet from destruction.

Book Synopsis

In this ode to the earth and all its living creatures, French Djiboutian poet, novelist, and essayist Abdourahman A. Waberi sounds the alarm about our imperiled planet, where "the Sahel rises in you, in me / the Red Sea boils in you, in me / Nunvut is melting in you, in me." This translation by Nancy Naomi Carlson preserves the rich musicality of the original French, as well as its frequent use of wordplay and often unusual word choice.

Waberi, a nomad at heart, takes us on a whirlwind tour across North America, Africa, and Europe, daring us to love the earth "beyond all rational thought" and to "turn into earth, both literally and figuratively," as we "turn from vanity, fears, and other pointless rustling." These lyrical, playful, and moving poems urge us to look for the truth and beauty hidden in our daily lives, singing of Waberi's own enduring love for our endangered planet and also, more forcefully, exhorting us to join him in the collective fight to save our planet from destruction.

Review Quotes

"Waberi's poems plead, reason, celebrate, demand, and yearn. Waberi's language is an act of noticing. Carlson's translation completely captures the concerns and voice of the poet. The rest of the conversation is up to the reader."--Alissa Simon, North American Review

"Lyrical and evocative, this newly published collection takes the reader on a journey throughout North America, Africa and Europe that encourages them to recognize the healing power of love in restoring the Earth."--Seattle Times-- (4/11/2025 12:00:00 AM)

"In this wonderful collection we encounter a poet who moves deftly from the political to the intimate with an impressive sense of play. There is a tone to the work, carried over into this remarkable translation, of the studied, sharp, witty, and yet poignant ways in which French language writers approach the world. From Derrida (yes, I think of him as a poet) to the engagement of Nganang, we see a lineage and skill and craft that make for the uniqueness of this tradition, and certainly of the lyric work in this collection. Abdourahman Waberi invites us into a deeply felt and artfully wrought collection. We are enriched for reading it."--Chris Abani, author of Smoking the Bible and Sanctificum

About the Author

Abdourahman A. Waberi is a poet, novelist, and essayist. He was born in what is now known as the Republic of Djibouti and is a major voice in African postcolonial studies. Waberi is the author of the novel In the United States of Africa (Bison Books, 2009) and has received a multitude of awards and honors, including a PEN France prize and, most recently, a medal from the French Academy. He is an associate professor of French at George Washington University. Nancy Naomi Carlson is a poet, translator, and essayist. She is the recipient of two translation grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the winner of the 2022 Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize. She is the author or translator of fifteen books, including her poetry collection Piano in the Dark and her translation of Samira Negrouche's poetry collection Solio.